site.btaRose Growers to Be Compensated with De Minimis Subsidies for Low Purchase Price

Karlovo, Southern Bulgaria, May 19 (BTA) - Registered rose growers will be compensated with de minimis subsidies for the low purchase price of rose petals this year, Agriculture, Foods and Forests Minister Roumen Porozhanov said here on Saturday. Porozhanov met with protesting rose growers and discussed the problems in the sector.

The Minister said that this year's rose crop is very good, both in terms of quality and quantity. He noted that rose growing has increased by 10 per cent each in the past two years. Currently, roses are grown on more than 40,000 ha. The purchase price of rose petals is now about 2 leva/kg, which does not cover production costs. In 2017 the price was around 4 leva/kg, and in 2016, around 5 leva/kg.

Roses have been planted in the past years that are not of the Rosa Damascena variety and thus cannot be used for making Bulgarian rose oil, the Minister said. Bulgaria currently produces more than 3,000 kilos of rose oil.

Porozhanov warned rose growers not to compromise with the quality of the Bulgarian rose oil, saying that legal measures will be undertaken in respect of such distilleries. The participants in the meeting noted the need for a rose law to regulate the sector.

Before the meeting with Porozhanov, hundreds of rose growers blocked roads in the Rose Valley to protest against the low purchase price of rose petals.